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Young H. |
September 05, 2024
If you seek paradise on Earth, go to Santorini. It’s impossible to be unhappy there.
A Weekend Evening after Dinner
As I browsed cruise booking sites, I was momentarily overwhelmed by the sheer number of options for Eastern Mediterranean routes. Combining departure dates, durations, ports of call, cruise lines, and ship types yielded thousands of possibilities. Blindly fumbling through this information maze seemed daunting, yet I was reluctant to spend days doing research on what was “merely a vacation itinerary.” After a brief deliberation, I turned to travel agency websites, relying on the expertise of professionals who deal with such decisions daily. From their curated cruise packages, I selected one that caught my eye.
Returning to the cruise booking site, I located the matching itinerary and cruise line. The eight-night, nine-day journey would depart from Rome, hug the Italian coast, visit the southern Greek islands, and stop at Izmir, Turkey, before returning. The cost for two passengers came to about KRW 4.7 million (approximately USD 3,500). While not insignificant, it was within our means and several hundred dollars cheaper than booking through a travel agency. With that, we finalized our reservation, and our bucket list Mediterranean cruise adventure was set in motion.
Memories of Authentic Italian Pizza and White Wine
Although navigating from Korea to Rome, staying overnight, and finding the cruise port were inevitable, they certainly involved their own share of trouble. They say planning a trip is the happiest part, but that high tends to wear off after you’ve renewed your passport a few times and it’s filled with entry and exit stamps. At the end of the day, home is the ultimate destination for all travel, and the most satisfying meal is often the one you’ve eaten most in your life—the one you’ll continue to eat until your dying day. The saying “There’s no place like home. The water tastes best here” is a universal sigh of contentment, regardless of age or location, when you finally sink into your own bed after a long journey.
Our second night in Rome was awash in the lingering heat of summer. After settling into our hotel, we found a nearby restaurant and ordered authentic Italian pizza and white wine. Both tasted exactly as expected—just like the pizza and wine we’d had delivered by Grab back home!
If You Still Think a Cruise Ship is Just a Boat …
The cruise ship that greeted us was larger than I had imagined. The sheer will, effort, and technology required to weld such an enormous steel structure and move it across the oceans left me in awe. After some boarding procedures, we entered the cabin we reserved, and all tension melted away. Stepping onto the balcony and looking down, it truly hit me that we were on the 13th floor. Although we were at sea, the view was eerily similar to gazing down from a high-rise building on land.
It’s a mistake to confuse a cruise ship with a regular boat. A cruise ship is essentially a hotel with entertainment facilities placed atop a vessel that can travel along seas or rivers between cities. It has everything you would expect in a hotel: an atrium that functions like a hotel lobby, restaurants, bars, game rooms, and even outdoor swimming pools. Just like in an all-inclusive hotel, meals at the buffet restaurant are included in your stay, but you can pay extra for specialty dining if desired. Enjoying an evening drink at the bar while listening to music is also part of the experience. The main difference is that, being isolated from the outside world, cruise ships offer a greater array of shows and activities onboard.
The Magic of “Mabuhay” and “Salamat Po”
Despite living in the Philippines for over a decade, I still say “Thank you” more often than “Salamat.” My comfort with the English language has, embarrassingly, left me with little knowledge of Filipino. However, during this cruise, I found myself using those few Filipino phrases more than ever. Filipinos were present in almost every role needed to keep the ship running, from room stewards and restaurant staff to bartenders, pool lifeguards, and even members of the ship’s sailing crew. In fact, it was nearly impossible to do anything without encountering them. Thanks to my time in the Philippines, I could easily identify them, and a simple “Mabuhay!” always brought out a bright smile. Saying “Salamat po” when receiving a drink instantly forged a connection. These little things made the cruise ship feel like a piece of the Philippines beyond its borders. For Filipinos, a cruise might even feel like visiting a resort in their own country.
We encountered Filipinos not just on the cruise but throughout Rome as well. They were in our hotel lobby and served meals at the nearby restaurant, where we enjoyed a lovely dinner. Each time I received their assistance, a simple “Salamat po” worked like magic, enhancing the experience.
A Present for Your Loved One or Someone Who Needs Cheering Up
Our first port of call was the Greek island of Mykonos. I’ll spare you a detailed introduction. You can find plenty of information online, and frankly, the island doesn’t require extensive explanation. It’s a quintessentially beautiful, clean Mediterranean island. Whether you’re exploring southern Greece or find yourself there for any other reason, you won’t be disappointed by its modest charm, the bustling shops along the harbor, or the rugged sensibility of the local islanders. It was here that I had the chance to swim in what became the most beautiful sea swimming experience of my life. The Mediterranean was much cooler than the tropical waters of Southeast Asia, and the absence of coral reefs made it feel even more pristine.
I’ll skip over our next stop: Izmir, Turkey. The sticky heat made everything feel bothersome, and even the original Turkish kebab from the traditional market wasn’t particularly impressive. Without the allure of romance, it might not be much different from—or perhaps even less tasty than—tteokbokki and odeng from a Busan market or a local snack shop. However, stripping “romance” from travel is like comparing coffee without its aroma. Still, I believe that for Turkish kebabs, you’re better off either dining at a good restaurant in Turkey or trying them in Greenbelt, Makati.
Santorini, our next stop after Izmir, was an island painted entirely in just two colors: the romance of blue and the serenity of white. It’s a place I’d love to share with people burdened with worries or looking for a slice of paradise on Earth. For those who wish to gift their loved ones an experience of pure tranquility, Santorini should be at the top of the list. The island’s calming atmosphere makes it seem impossible for anyone to remain troubled for long.
The serene, whitewashed buildings cascading down the cliffs, set against the deep blue of the Aegean Sea, create a visual symphony of peace. While for its inhabitants, the island serves as their home and livelihood, to visitors, Santorini offers a unique blend of natural beauty and man-made elegance that soothes the soul. As you stand on the edge of Oia or Fira, watching the sun dip into the sea, painting the sky in hues of orange and pink, you can feel the day’s worries melting away. The gentle sea breeze carries a sense of timelessness, as if the troubles of the modern world can’t quite reach this secluded paradise.
Naturally, I wonder if the locals enjoy modern conveniences like having Grab deliver to the island’s peak. But perhaps it’s precisely this juxtaposition of worldly constraints and ethereal beauty that allows Santorini to heal a weary spirit as deeply and abundantly as the Mediterranean Sea itself.
If you plan to visit Santorini after reading this, I suggest you avoid cramming your itinerary all in one day, battling crowds for a few hours of “sightseeing and snapping photos” before descending. Such a hurried approach does a disservice to the island’s serene nature.
Instead, I recommend spending at least a few days or even a month if possible. Give yourself the gift of time to simply gaze at the sea, slowly, allowing the island’s calm to wash over you.
Let the slow pace of island life, the stunning vistas, and the warm hospitality of the locals gradually seep into your being. In Santorini, serenity isn’t just a feeling—it’s a way of life, one that has the power to transform even the most stressed-out traveler into a picture of calm and contentment.
